1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agricultural feed bagging machine and more particularly to an agricultural feed bagging machine having means associated therewith to control the density of the material being packed in the bag without the need for a backstop and cable brakes.
2. Background Information
Agricultural feed bagging machines have been employed for several years to pack or bag silage or the like into elongated plastic bags. Two of the earliest bagging machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,061 and 4,046,068. In the prior art bagging machines, silage or the like is supplied to the forward or intake end of the bagging machine and is fed to a rotor which conveys the silage into a tunnel on which the bag is positioned so that the bag is filled. As silage is loaded into the bag, the bagging machine moves away from the filled end of the bag in a controlled fashion so as to achieve uniform compaction of the silage material within the bag. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,805, silage is forced by means of a rotor from the intake chamber of the machine through the output chamber of the machine and into the agricultural bag with a backstop structure yieldably engaging the closed end of the agricultural bag to resist the movement of the bagging machine away from the filled end of the agricultural bag as silage is forced into the bag. The structure of the '805 patent includes a pair of drums rotatably mounted on the bagging machine with a brake associated therewith for braking or resisting the rotation of the drum with a selected brake force. A cable is wrapped around the drum and is connected to the backstop.
Although the cable drum and backstop structure of the '805 patent and other similar machines do function generally satisfactorily, the cables, which are positioned on opposite sides of the bag, can create openings or holes in the bag which will adversely affect the fermentation process within the bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the devices such as shown in the '805 patent is that the cables must be rewound after the filing of an individual bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the machine such as disclosed in the '805 patent is that a dangerous condition exists should one of the cables break.
In an effort to overcome some of the disadvantages of machines such as disclosed in the '805 patent, an attempt was made in U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,666 to achieve the desired bagging operation while eliminating the need for the cable drum and backstop structure. In the '666 patent, the wheels on the bagging machine were braked to provide the desired resistance to the filling of the bag. Although the brake system of the '666 patent apparently met with some success, it is believed that machines such as disclosed in the '666 patent experience slippage difficulties in wet field conditions which adversely affect the bagging operation. It is also believed that the brake means alone on the bagging machine such as those disclosed in the '666 patent do not achieve the desired compaction of the silage material within the bag.
In applicant's co-pending application, Ser. No. 07/912,873, a bagging machine is described which has the capability of enabling the density of the silage material to be selectively controlled without the need of an elaborate braking system. Although the bagging machine of Ser. No. 07/912,873 does satisfactorily achieve all of its objectives, a more simple way of controlling the density of the bagged material was discovered and was the subject of the patent application, Ser. No. 08/1003,540. Although the density control means described in Ser. No. 08/003,540 did represent a significant advance in the art, it is believed that the instant invention likewise represents a significant advance over the prior art.
In the co-pending application, Ser. No. 08/003,540, a density control means was described which included a plurality of cables which were positioned in the flow of the silage material being bagged. In order to vary the density of the material in the machine of Ser. No. 08/003,540, more or less cables would be employed based on the material being packed. For example, corn silage flows easy and would require more cables while alfalfa packs hard and would use less cables. The need to have a convenient means for varying the density, by way of the density control cables, exists and the instant invention provides such a means.